These Will Be The Best Years Of Your Life
by whatwouldprongsdo
Summary: AU Marauder's Era: What if Hogwarts was a University, not a school?  FULLSUMMARY inside   Excerpt: James laughed "You've run away with me to the centre of London, I hardly think we're strangers now." "Ran away." Lily scoffed. "More like forcibly dragged."
1. Foreword and Summary

**Foreword  
><strong>_  
>Dedicated to the Lilys and the Marauders of this world, who believe in loyalty, true friendship and dying for love. Not to mention full appreciation of not taking life too seriously.<em>

"_These will be the best years of your life." _Isn't that what people say before you embark on the great trip that is 'early adulthood'? Where you're starting to gain independence, yet are not bogged down by responsibility, where you make mistakes, have fun, meet people you'll probably be friends with for life and people you most definitely will not?

Ah, if only it were so simple.

When Lily Evans applied to university, she had absolutely no idea she was a witch, so when she is thrown in to the wizarding world and given a place at Hogwarts University of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it takes a good deal of help from a Mr James Potter to explain everything to her.

She thinks she's got it down, but throw in the other Marauders, Severus Snape and her three room-mates: Dorcas; Marlene and Laura on top of a wizarding war and hiding her new-found magical abilities from her family and friends and things start to get complicated.

There was one thing for certain, though. Taken together and with a pinch of salt, these would be the best years of her life.

_Disclaimer for the whole story: all characters etc. belong to J K Rowling, otherwise I would be the multi-millionaire. _


	2. Chapter 1: Magic?

**Magic?**

_It's a lot to comprehend, this magic stuff._

**mag·ic**

**noun** /ˈmajik/

The power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces

_- do you believe in __**magic**__?_

_- suddenly, as if by __**magic**__, the doors start to open_

Mysterious tricks, such as making things disappear and appear again, performed as entertainment

A quality that makes something seem removed from everyday life, esp. in a way that gives delight

_- the __**magic**__ of the theater_

Something that has such a quality

_- their seaside town is pure __**magic**_

_[Introduction into the magical world]_

.

Lily twiddled her thumbs nervously. She was in a large office sitting opposite a mahogany desk. She was alone, for the time being, having been told she was to be joined by a faculty member around about now. She hastily retrieved the letter she had been sent from Nottingham University.

"_Dear Miss Evans_

_Congratulations on achieving the grades required to attend Nottingham University. This letter is to confirm your place and to ask you to attend a meeting on 3__rd__ September at 10am at the enclosed address. This meeting is to discuss a potential scheme for select students who have shown certain skill or capabilities. We hope you can make it. _

_Signed  
>M. McGonagall"<em>

Well, this was the address she'd been given. She looked at the clock. 9:59. What kind of special scheme was she going to be offered? She wasn't particularly outstanding at anything. Yeah, she'd admit she had a knack for chemistry, but that was why she was doing Pharmacy as a course. The clock chimed 10 o'clock and Lily looked up with a start. In front of her was a man with half-moon spectacles and a long, white beard. Normally in such a situation, she would have thought of Santa, especially as said man was wearing robes of a deep red, but something about him gave him a much more striking demeanour and she was struck with an automatic sense of respect.

"Sorry." She began. "I didn't hear you come in."  
>"That's quite alright, Miss Evans." He said kindly. "I'm Professor Dumbledore."<br>"Pleased to meet you." Lily said, shaking his hand. "I'm Lily Evans…but…er…you already know that." She said, giggling nervously.  
>Lily noted that he was practically beaming. What the hell had she done?<br>A moment of awkward silence passed before she cleared her throat and asked: "So…um…this meeting was about a special-"  
>"What are you hoping to achieve at Nottingham, Miss Evans?" Dumbledore interrupted her.<br>"Er…a good degree? To-"  
>"Yes, all of that is very important and very general to the student body." He interrupted again. "But what about <em>you<em>?" His vivid blue eyes seemed to probe him and before she could even mentally comprehend an answer she had said: "I want to discover who I truly am." She realised he must have seen the shock on her face as he chuckled slightly.  
>"Now that is more like it."<p>

Silence descended on the room again. Lily looked at Dumbledore, who had found an interesting spot on the ceiling. "What do you think of magic?" he blurted out.  
>"Magic?" She asked, taken aback. "I think it's something this world needs a little more of."<br>He sat back in his chair, placing his fingertips together. "How so?"  
>"Well you can't turn on the news for more than five minutes without hearing about death and destruction nowadays…"<br>"Do you believe in magic?" he continued.  
>"I want to." she admitted. "But there's always that little doubt at the back of my mind that tells me it's not real."<br>"What if I told you it is?" She remained silent. "And what if I told you that you were a witch?"  
>"In that case I think I'd deny it." She said. "Surely if I was a witch I'd be able to do magical things?"<br>"That's the thing with magic." Dumbledore said, closing his eyes. Suddenly the desk was on fire. Lily leapt back with a yelp. "You have to feel it." The desk went back to normal. Nothing was charred. There wasn't a mark on it. Lily frowned, breathing heavily. "Excuse me?"  
>"You have to believe in magic for it to come forth. I think you possess magic, Miss Evans."<br>"But…but I've never done _anything_ like that!" she protested. "And I've tried to be magical…do you know how many times I've tried to make the remote come to me via my mind?"  
>"Magic isn't in the mind." Dumbledore said, patiently "It's part of your soul and you need to free it." He smiled. "Besides, you wouldn't have been able to find this office if you weren't at least a little magical." He winked.<p>

Lily exhaled slowly, trying to take it all in. Then a thought hit her and her face became unreadable.  
>"Am I being Punk'd?" she asked.<br>Dumbledore laughed loudly. "Ah. Muggles."  
>"What's a muggle?" Lily asked, confusedly, all thoughts of being pranked being forgotten.<br>"Someone who's not magical." Dumbledore explained.  
>She nodded slowly, then looked to her shoes. "After 18 years of being told magic isn't real," she said "How am I meant to believe you?" She looked disappointed, as if she really wanted to believe.<br>"You don't need to believe me." He said, sitting up straight. "You know in yourself that I'm telling the truth."

"Now there are some things I have to tell you." Lily looked to him again. "You have to understand that the idea of real magic is somewhat…incomprehensible to the majority of muggles." Lily mentally scoffed. "Therefore the wizarding community, for their own and for muggle safety require the utmost secrecy in regard to our existence. There are some who are trying to thwart such ruling, but that's for another time." He smiled slightly.  
>"So…are you saying I can't tell anyone about this?" Lily asked.<br>"Well that depends on your choice. You can accept that you have magic, leave your ah…Pharmacy course and join Hogwarts University of Witchcraft and Wizardry or you can go back to being a muggle. You'll forget all about this conversation and you'll never hear from our world again."  
>Lily stared at Dumbledore. "You have a week to decide." He continued. "Term starts on the 1st October and you need time to get all of your supplies." He smiled again.<br>"Professor…if…if I become part of your world," she began "Do I have to completely leave the muggle one? Can I never see my parents, my sister again?"  
>"Integration has become more important in recent years than ever before." Dumbledore replied "As such, to your family you will still be at Warwick. The system is put in place and is completely fool-proof and every holiday you can see them, like you would if you were at university. But, at this particular time…we strongly suggest that you do not tell them anything about the magical world. It could cause…problems to say the least."<br>"Sir you…you keep talking about 'these times' and 'recent years'…what do you mean?" Lily asked curiously.  
>Dumbledore's expression turned grave. "If you decide to join the wizarding world, I will send someone to fill you in on everything you need to know and someone who will help you to get your supplies. But I really must leave now, I apologise."<br>They both stood. "Professor, how do I let you know what I have chosen?"  
>"I'll know." He replied mysteriously, before turning on the spot and vanishing.<p> 


	3. Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

**Stranger Danger**

**stran·ger**

**noun** /ˈstrānjər/  
>strangers, plural<p>

A person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar

_[Off to see the wizard]  
><em>.

Lily watched the time anxiously, just like she had all morning. It had been a week since her conversation with Professor Dumbledore and she didn't feel any closer to making a decision.

Magic was _real_.

Seriously, she was still trying to wrap her head around that fact and was being asked to step blindly into this world she knew nothing about. She glanced at the clock again. It was quarter past one in the afternoon. She sighed as the doorbell rang. Automatically she jumped out of her seat and ran to the door. Her hand hesitated on the handle, though. It could be anyone, really. She took a deep breath and pulled open the door.

A man about her age was standing there. His hair was black and incredibly messy, he wore glasses and a crooked smile.  
>"Lily Evans?" he asked, his eyes appraising her. She nodded and his smile widened. "I'm James Potter. Dumbledore said you'd be expecting me?"<br>Lily sighed and rubbed her eyes exasperatedly "But I haven't made my decision yet."  
>"He said you'd say that." James admitted, the grin not leaving his face. "But by opening this door to me, I think that shows you<em> have<em> made your decision."  
>"Not really…" Lily mumbled. "You could have been the postman."<br>"What's a man doing delivering your post?" James asked confusedly. "Owls are much more efficient. Now-"  
>"<em>Owls?<em>" Lily asked incredulously, before she was pulled through the doorway by James.  
>"-come on!" he said brightly. "I trust Dumbledore explained that someone was going to teach you everything you need to know about the Wizarding World before you start Hogwarts in 5 weeks? Well you have been placed with me and it is my duty to get you up to speed. You have me all to yourself from now up and until October." He smirked at her "Let's go!"<br>"Wait- my family, friends…won't they notice I'm gone?" Lily pointed out the obvious.  
>"Not in the slightest." James said. When Lily didn't look convinced, he added "I trust you understand the concept of time-travel?" She nodded slowly. "Then no more needs to be said about it! Now, first step in becoming a witch: purchase a wand."<br>"Naturally," Lily said, loftily. "and where do you suppose I buy one of those?."  
>"Ollivander's, Diagon Alley." James said, as though it were obvious "There really is no other place."<br>She stared at him. "Please take my arm." He commanded.  
>"Why?"<br>"Miss Evans," James said, exaggerating every syllable "_Please _stop with the suspicion and just trust me!"  
>She glanced at his extended arm. What was the worst that could happen, right? She took it and he beamed, turning on the spot.<br>Ok, this was the worst thing that could have happened. She was suffocating, as if being squeezed through a tube- but then it was over and she was standing in a cobbled street, obviously far from home. She blinked rapidly.  
>"Are you alright?" James asked, concernedly from her side. "Most people chuck up after their first side-long apparition."<br>"Thanks for the warning(!)" she muttered sarcastically, closing her eyes to focus on quelling the uneasiness in her stomach. When she opened her eyes, James was looking down on her with a mixture of amusement and worry.  
>"I'm fine." She said. "Well, relatively."<br>He nodded seriously. "Apparition is the most convenient of wizard travel methods. You'll learn how to do that pretty soon into first year as you are over 17 and therefore of age by wizarding law. Second most convenient, but my preferred method, is by broom. I've volunteered to give you a head-start in that course," he winked at her "Get you ready for Quidditch trials if you're any good. Now," he turned to point at a dingy pub opposite them. "Do you see that pub over there?"  
>She nodded, still trying to take everything he'd said. Brooms…apparition…kwidlick, or something…This was too much to absorb.<br>"Good." James continued "If you didn't, that would make you a muggle, which would have been a bit awkward." He grinned again. "This is the Leaky Cauldron: entrance to Diagon Alley. But…er…now don't take this the wrong way, but you're still looking quite peaky, so we'll get you a drink first." Lily allowed herself to be led into the bar.  
>"Ah! Master Potter!" the bartender exclaimed as they walked in.<br>"Hello, Tom." James greeted "How are you?"  
>"Not bad as it happens, Master Potter, not bad at all."<br>"Good…and I thought we were on first name basis, Tom?"  
>"Of course, Master Potter." The man grinned, cheekily. James merely chuckled. "What can I get for you and your friend?"<br>"This is Lily Evans." She waved "and two butterbeers, please."  
>"Butterbeers?" Tom repeated, half-laughing. "Are you sure? Why, just last week you and young Master Black drank out my entire Firewhiskey supply."<br>"It's still quite early," James stated "and first-time apparition." he gestured to Lily "Better start her on the weak stuff."  
>"Fair enough," Tom said "I'll bring them over, Master Potter."<br>James and Lily sat in a booth.  
>"Master Potter?" she asked, raising an eyebrow "What are you, the king's son?" she realised that may have come out as rude and blushed faintly.<br>"No, that would make me _Prince_ James," he pointed out.  
>She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." She said "And sorry if that was rude. This is all…so much." She cast her eyes around the pub. It looked like there was a <em>vampire<em> in the corner. Were any of the bedtime stories she was told as a kid not true?  
>"Don't worry about it. My family are quite established in the Wizarding World," he explained and er…me and my friends spend quite a bit of time in here." He smiled guiltily, just as Tom brought over the drinks. James paid with some odd-looking coins and slid a bottle over to her. She eyed it uneasily.<br>"Drink." James encouraged, swigging his own. "It'll make you feel better. In fact…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slab of what looked like chocolate.  
>"Honeyduke's finest." He announced. "Moony always says to have chocolate when you're not feeling good."<br>"My parents always told me not to accept sweets from strangers." Lily shot back.  
>James laughed. "You've run away with me to the centre of London, I hardly think we're strangers anymore."<br>"Ran away." Lily scoffed. "More like forcibly dragged." But she broke off a piece of chocolate anyway and ate it, instantly feeling warmth spread throughout her body. "Tell Moony he's a genius."  
>"He'll like that." James smiled.<br>"Sure that's not drugged?" she asked half-seriously, looking at the bar on the table.  
>"Nope, just magic." James said, waggling his eyebrows. Lily giggled and leant back in her seat, visibly more relaxed. She took a sip of butterbeer and James looked to her expectantly.<br>"It's nice." She admitted.**  
><strong>"Good." He replied.  
>It wasn't long before the two drinks were finished.<br>"Ready to go?" James asked.  
>"Yep. Unless it involves more apparition." Lily said.<br>"Nope, we'll be walking." And they walked to the backyard. "Observe."  
>James pulled out what appeared to be a long stick and tapped certain bricks. Lily gaped as the wall seemed to melt away.<br>"After you." James offered. Lily stepped through into a bustling street.  
>"Welcome to Diagon Alley." He said.<p>

_  
><strong>AN:  
>Hi,<br>Thanks ****to: ****Iwould'vebeenAlexia**** for reviewing**.** Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been on holiday and got quite inspired, actually. Though some of that was also from **_**The Life and Times **_**by **_**Jewels5.**_** It's seriously like the best fanfiction I've ever read. My point is, is that I have direction with this story now and hopefully my more dedicated side will shine through to allow me to carry on. **

**Now…my sister pointed out: how could Lily refuse Hogwarts? As in: how could she control her power and how did she not notice for 18 years? As this is AU, I'll say that their powers don't really show themselves until after puberty, so sort of late teens. As to how Lily could forget them, I think with the **_**Obliviate**_**, she'd forget she was a witch, kind of like Lockhart and therefore not really be able to perform any sort of magic. Hope that clears things up =]**

**Also I know there are a few issues this story raises in terms of what's canon HP, such as what the hell did wizard kids do for the first 18 years of their lives? Just bear with me, I will fill in the gaps, so for now I need you to just accept things xD  
>One thing I will point out now though is that because they are both 18, James has done his 'growing up' and so I think he and Lily would get on. But don't worry, there will be significant tension in later chapters. I should also probably say now that this is going to be LilyJames.**

**Final point: the last two chapters were kind of an introduction. The chapters will be getting lengthier now, as I'm hoping to turn this into like a mini-novella-type-of-thing. **

**Thank you for reading. =]**

**~Reviews make me happy~**


	4. Chapter 3: Diagonally

**Diagonally**

**wiz·ard**

**adjective** /ˈwizərd/

Wonderful; excellent

**noun** /ˈwizərd/  
>wizards, plural<p>

A man who has magical powers, esp. in legends and fairy tales

_[The wand chooses the wizard.]_

. 

Lily Evans would always remember this moment. This exact moment on 26th August, 1978, because this was it. The moment that confirmed to her that the magical world existed. A desk on fire, apparition, the Leaky Cauldron...though all very impressive and definitely non-muggle, still left a faint thread of doubt. Doubt that had now completely and utterly vanished, because the only word that could describe this place was magical.

The street was bustling, with hordes of robed shoppers milling around. Cauldrons; cats; owls; broomsticks...she saw them all in that brief moment.  
>She knew then she was willing to give herself over to this world. How could she not?<p>

"Alright there, Lily?" James' voice grounded her back to reality. She cleared her throat and nodded, wondering how Diagon Alley looked to him. Could he feel the static in the air that was making her feel jittery, yet calm all at the same time? He obviously knew this place. He evidently was already a part of the magical world. Was Diagon Alley just like any other road to him?  
>"Ollivanders is just up here." he pointed. She followed the direction of his finger and began to walk, he fell in step with her.<br>"You seem rather out of sorts, Miss Evans." he stated.  
>She shook her head. "Magic is REAL." she said incredulously.<br>He grinned widely. "It's hit you, has it?" and he held the door open for her.

"Master Potter!" came a voice after they had barely crossed the threshold. Mr Ollivander was a white-haired wizard with large eyes, which were currently boring into James.  
>"Mahogany, 11 inches wasn't it?" Ollivander said.<br>"Yes, sir." James confirmed.  
>"Pliable, excellent for transfiguration."<br>"Indeed." and James smirked, as if hiding some well-known secret.  
>Ollivander's eyes flicked to Lily who automatically felt uneasy. His stare was much too intense for her liking.<br>"Muggle-born?" he asked "About to start Hogwarts University?"  
>"Yes, Mr. Ollivander." James said "This is Lily Evans."<br>"Hmm." he said and bent under the desk. "Try this one." he said, handing her a long stick, which was what she assumed to be a wand.  
>"9 and 12 inches, pliable, oak. Dragon's heartstring. Give it a wave." he told her.  
>She took it and swished. A quill that had been lying on the counter feebly rolled over.<br>"Not quite right, that one." Ollivander said, as he went into the back of the shop to fetch another stack of wands. Meanwhile James was snickering at the disappointed look on Lily's face. She shot him a withering glare.  
>"I'm sorry!" he chuckled. "What were you expecting? Fireworks?"<br>She crossed her arms, slightly embarrassed.  
>Ollivander handed her another.<br>"7 inches." he began "unicorn hair..."  
>But Lily cut him off, swishing through the air. The mirror opposite them smashed.<br>She hastily put the wand back on the counter-top, deciding not to be so vigorous next time.

They went through thirty-two more wands; each as disappointing as the first or as destructive as the second.  
>Lily stretched her fingers as Ollivander went to find wand number thirty-five.<br>"Don't worry, Lily." James assured her "Everyone takes this long."  
>"Really?" she asked "How long did you take?"<br>"Well I found mine second go." he said, but added hastily "However, Peter insists he went through seventy-six before he found his."  
>"Seventy-six?"<br>"Patience is a virtue."  
>"Miss Evans, I think this will be more to your liking." Ollivander said as he reappeared. He handed her a new wand and Lily automatically liked it. She didn't know why, particularly, but she had a good feeling.<br>Taking it from him, she felt warmth run through her fingers and she tuned out Ollivander's recital of the specifics ("Willow, 10 and a ¼ inches, swishy") and swirled the wand in a figure of 8. A stream of golden sparks emitted from the wand and stayed in the air for a brief second, before fading again. She held the wand comfortably in her right hand and faced the others, who both looked pleased.  
>"The wand chooses the witch." Ollivander said enigmatically. "Let me wrap it up for you." He took the wand back and placed it in its box. James paid and they both left the shop, Lily bouncing slightly.<p>

"Someone's happy." James observed.  
>"Happy?" Lily repeated "I'm bloody ecstatic! I just bought <em>a wand<em>! Me, Lily Evans!" she twirled around back to face him "A wand!"  
>He laughed humorously. "Once we've got your other supplies we can start practice."<br>"Practice? You mean like spells?" she said, not able to keep the excitement from her voice.  
>He nodded. "We need to get you up to speed, after all."<br>Lily faltered slightly. "James..." she began "you've been part of the magical world for how long?"  
>"Eighteen years, why?"<br>"Well...how on earth am I going to learn everything you've covered in eighteen years in five weeks? Not to mention everyone here seems to know you, you've got a completely different currency and the muggle world is just so different and...my gosh...just how?"  
>"You'll be surprised how much we can cover in five weeks when it's one on one and we cut out all the useless stuff. Like divination." he shuddered. "Not only that, you'll go back for another five weeks to read over your books and you can practise at home. Then first term, muggle-borns get put on an intensive course, whilst the rest of us have to sit through a load of lectures- so think yourself lucky- on how 'integration is key'. You must have heard that? New ministry policy to try and prevent people going dark-side. Fat chance of that working. Anyway," he turned to look at her "magically-born kids only officially go to school when they're 16 going on 17, when their magic has matured and that was just to get us to the level you will be at by the end of first term."<br>"You mean to tell me you did nothing for sixteen years?" Lily asked.  
>"Well, for the first two or three years of my life, I think doing nothing was fair enough."<br>Lily smirked slightly. "After that...I can't speak for other kids, but for me I was raised pure-blood. In fact, my family are one of the oldest pureblood families out there." He saw that Lily was looking confused. "Pureblood," he continued "basically means they've never let any muggles or muggle-borns into the breeding line. The fact we go back so far makes us practically royalty in the wizarding world."  
>"Why don't you mate with muggles or...muggle-borns?" Lily asked.<br>"It's not a written rule." James said quickly. "Though some would like to think that it is." he added bitterly. "There are some people who think that the more pureblood you are, the better you are and that "we" should keep magic to ourselves. My family happen to be this type of people...apart from my parents. They both wanted to marry muggles, actually- to break tradition. They accidentally fell in love with each other. It rather annoyed them both." James gave small smile. "A few of my aunts, uncles and cousins are a lot more accepting nowadays as well, so we're not too bad as pureblood families go." he grinned "Sorry." he said "You seem a bit lost. I guess that was a lot to take in. It's hard to describe the politics of our world if you haven't grown up with them."  
>Lily merely nodded "And er...where do you stand on the...er...muggle-born...stance?"<br>He gave Lily a look. "Yes, I hate all muggle-borns(!)" he said sarcastically "That's why I volunteered to be here today and help out thine fine self."  
>Lily blushed and looked to her feet.<br>"Honestly I think it's a load of shite." James continued. "Who cares if you're muggle-born? It's pathetic, really. But I guess you'll understand mor,e once you've read up a bit. On that note, time to get your books." he gestured to the shop they were now standing in front of: Borgin and Burkes.

.

_[And through books we can grasp endless knowledge.]_

.

Lily breathed in deeply as they entered the shop, the smell of books familiar to her. She'd always loved reading. She enjoyed escaping to these fantastical places_, just_ _like here_, she thought. James had pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and was perusing the shelves, using the parchment for reference. He flicked his wand after muttering some words and soon a stack of books was following him around the shop.

Lily took this as an opportunity to wander. She ended up in a section that was, for want of a better description, very pink. '_How to charm a wizard in 10 days_ by Victoria Marks.' Lily read. Amused, she flicked open the first page.  
>"Getting ideas?" Lily dropped the book, startled. James smirked at her with a glint in his eyes.<br>"No…I…" Lily tried to explain, blushing. She bent down to pick up the book, which was now open on a page 'About the author' "It looked…hey this picture is moving!" she said, as Victoria Marks smiled and waved up at her from the page. Lily widened her eyes.  
>"Yeah…all wizard pictures do." James said.<br>"Seriously?" she asked, turning the book over to see the picture of a man and woman embracing was moving too. "Wicked!"  
>"You can get it if you think you need it." James said, his tone slightly mocking.<br>"No, I don't think I'll have any use for it." She replied loftily, putting it back on the shelf with as much dignity as possible. James still wouldn't stop smirking.  
>"I've got all your books." he said "Now we just have to go and pay."<br>"Ok." She said, then a thought hit her. "James...how are you paying? I mean…this stuff is all for me and I haven't got any wizard money."  
>He shrugged. "I dunno. Dumbledore sorts it all out. Something about a student loan? Anyway, this is your cash, technically. But I'm looking after it 'til you get a bit more comfortable with the currency."<br>"So…you could buy anything?"  
>"<em>I <em>couldn't." he corrected. "The only things I can buy with your money are uni supplies. There's a charm on the coins and everything."  
>"Well good." Lily stated. "You could be stealing my money." She grinned.<br>He rolled his eyes and returned the smile "Trust me- I don't need to." He reached into his pocket to pull out a small sack, which was heavy with coins. "Do you want to pay?"  
>She took the sack. "Um…what do I need?" she turned to James, looking slightly sheepish. He gave her the correct coins and retrieved the bag from her as they approached the counter.<br>"Hi." the witch behind the counter said as she approached. "Just these books?" she took the hefty pile and ran her wand across them. "Ah- Hogwarts student are you?" she asked, friendlily.  
>"Yes." Lily replied, smiling.<br>"Well that will be six galleons, 7 sickles and a knut then, please."  
>Lily proudly held out her hand, not having a clue what a knut or a sickle or a galleon was.<br>"Thank you, dear." The witch replied, taking the coins. She handed over the bag of books "Maybe you ought to get your friend to levitate them." She said "They're quite heavy."  
>"On it." James said, flicking his wand yet again.<br>"Thank you." Lily said to the counter witch, before following James out of the shop.  
>"Are you going to have to do that all day?" she asked him.<br>"Nah, I'll get a trolley." He said, strolling into another store and returning, pushing a trolley into the street. "One of the best muggle inventions." He said to her as they continued to walk down the road. 

.  
><em>[Siriusly]<em>  
>.<p>

Sirius Black was not one to complain about spending time with women. Ok, so normally when in the presence of a female, his time was spent decidedly _not_ talking, but he enjoyed a good flirt and casual conversation with them as much as the next man. When the offer came up to teach a muggle-born the ropes, he agreed in the hope he would be paired with a girl of interest and he was granted his wish. Well, for half of it at least.  
>Now he was regretting his decision to give any help at all.<p>

Laura Smith was potentially the most boring person he'd ever had to endure conversation with. She was of average height, with shoulder-length blonde hair and had large, brown eyes. To be honest, she was, by most standards, quite pretty and if he wasn't completely stone-cold sober and she was up for it, her company wouldn't have been as much of a jar to him. As it was, that morning he was completely stone-cold sober and she was definitely not up for it. Either that or she was completely oblivious to his less-than-subtle attempts at flirtation. She had no substance, no sense of humour and was so completely dull, it was almost funny. Almost.

They were walking around Diagon Alley and had fallen into an awkward silence, since she offered no stimulating conversation and Sirius made no point of hiding the fact he was fed up. He missed his friends.  
>If he was at the Potter's right now, which he would have been had he not been with Laura, he could have been planning a prank, or eating, or playing 2-a-side Quidditch, or drinking…<br>The last thought gave him an idea and suddenly he couldn't wait to get their shopping finished.

"Are we done now?" Laura asked as they started to return to the Leaky Cauldron.  
>"If you mean are we finished shopping, then yes." Sirius replied, looking a lot less bored "But by no means are we 'done'. We've got 5 more weeks together, Laura, dear and I think…well…I think we should talk about that."<br>"Why do we need to?" Laura asked.  
>"Let's get a drink." Sirius said, leading her into the pub. "What can I get you?"<br>"Just some Coca-Cola will be fine."  
>"Yeah…not sure we do that." Sirius said, smiling forcedly. "I'll get you a Firewhiskey."<br>"Is that alcohol?" Laura said quickly. "Because I don't want-"  
>"One Firewhiskey it is, get us a booth, please." He turned his back on her and walked to the bar. Whilst he was waiting, he pulled a mirror out of his pocket. "James Potter." He said clearly into it. The mirror rippled slightly, then the face of his best friend appeared, looking slightly amused.<br>"Remus owes me a galleon." He said, happily.  
>"What? Why?" Sirius questioned.<br>"Because I bet him you wouldn't be able to go 24 hours without talking to me."  
>"I hate you both." Sirius said, coolly. "Listen, mate, I'm at the Leaky Cauldron. Can you get here?"<br>"Why?" James' brow furrowed.  
>"Because I have the most boring girl ever! I'm going out of my mind! I need rescuing and if you were any kind of a best friend you would come and save my arse!"<br>James laughed. "Sorry, Pads. We've got at least another hour to go. I can meet you then?"  
>Sirius looked crestfallen. "Well you sound a lot more cheerful than I am. What's your muggle-born like? Are they around?"<br>"_Lily_ is trying on her robes and she's really nice, actually. She's really interested in our world, but isn't over-the-top. She's got a good sense of humour and is going to be really good at magic, I can tell."  
>"What's she look like?" Sirius asked, smirking slightly.<br>"Is that all you think about?" James replied, exasperatedly before smiling back. "Nah, she's gorgeous. She's got flaming red hair and her eyes are this really vivid green and- what?" he asked, as Sirius had started chuckling.  
>"You fancy her." He stated.<br>James grinned. "And what if I do?"  
>"Well, now, James." He replied, mock-seriously. "You know what Minnie said: '<em>no relations with the muggle-borns, aside from friendship. That means you, Black and Potter<em>.'"  
>"Oh yeah." James said. "Well, they don't call us Marauders for nothing!"<br>"Yeah, come on! They had to know _we'd_ break the rules. It'd be some sort of travesty if we didn't."  
>"On that note:" James began "Why aren't you flirting with..um..?"<br>"Laura." Sirius helped, dully.  
>"Laura? Not your type?"<br>"Hey! I don't flirt with every girl I meet!" James looked at him sceptically. "And in answer to your other question," he continued, ignoring James. "She is completely my type, but she's not interested."  
>"WHAT?" James asked, mock-horrified. "She is not interested in my best friend? The most handsome man on this planet? The one, the only Sirius Black?"<br>"I know!" Sirius said, disbelievingly. "But I was thinking maybe I'm _really _not her type." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.  
>"Well why don't you snog her and find out? You never know…she might loosen up a bit."<br>"Can't hurt, I suppose." Sirius stroked his chin. "You know, I'm almost considering taking her home to mum just for some entertainment."  
>"Don't do it." James said sharply. "No matter how dull she is, she doesn't deserve that."<br>"True." Sirius said, and then he groaned. "Right, you better be here in an hour, Prongs. Otherwise I may have been bored to death."  
>James merely grinned. "See ya later."<p>

Sirius put his mirror away and ordered the two firewhiskies. He took them over to the booth where Laura was sitting and staring out of the window.  
>"Right, Laura. Here's the thing…" Sirius began as he sat down. Laura turned to look at him uninterestedly. "I don't know if you've realised, but you're really dull." Laura blinked at him. Sirius always had been rather blunt with the truth. Laura didn't say a word. "But if that's who you are, I'm not going to tell you to change. Hell, there must be some people out there who dig that kind of thing. But I'm not going to get through these five weeks with you with my sanity intact unless something changes."<br>She narrowed her eyes at him. "What kind of changes?"  
>He gestured to the drinks and then shrugged. "If I'm being honest, you're pretty fit. Just when your mouth is closed." He smiled briefly and took a large swig of firewhiskey. A few moments passed in silence.<br>"I get nervous." Laura said, quietly, and then looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry if I've been…rude today it's just…I don't know how to act around guys, particularly guys I'm attracted to." She looked to her lap. "If you want to change partners, I'll understand."  
>"Wait-" Sirius said "Are you saying all of <em>that<em>." He gestured in the air "Was because you find me irresistible?"  
>Laura rolled her eyes. "Irresistible, no. Attractive, yes." She groaned "I don't know how to do this."<br>"Then let me help." Sirius said, a coy smile playing on his lips before he moved in to kiss her. "Just tell me to stop if you're not comfortable." She didn't budge. Their lips met. Sirius pulled away after a few moments.  
>"Well that's one way to make things interesting." He said. She smiled, slightly.<br>"You're too tense." He told her. "You need to relax a bit." He pushed the bottle of firewhiskey over to her. She picked it up and gingerly took a sip, coughing slightly as the burning liquid hit the back of her throat.  
>"Now where were we?"<p>

-  
><em>[If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends]<em>

_-_

"Well, what do you think?" Lily said, twirling around in her new black robes. James was leaning on the wall opposite her.  
>"They suit you." He said sincerely.<br>She smiled. "Should I wear them for the rest of the day? What's the proper decorum?" She took in James' muggle clothes.  
>"It's down to you, really." He said. "You'll be wearing robes all the time at Hogwarts though, if that plays a role in your decision?"<br>She nodded and went to change back into her muggle dress. After they had paid, they exited the shop. James ran a hand through his air.  
>"'K." he said "Well we only have a few more things to do, then I said we'd meet some friends in the Leaky Cauldron, if that's ok with you? Actually I need to contact Remus and Peter…shall we pop to the Post Office?"<br>"Ah yes, the famous post-owls…" Lily said, mystically.  
>"You'll see how much more efficient they are." James said, smiling down at Lily.<br>The Post Office had rows upon rows of packages and letters and owls came flying out ten to the minute.  
>"Hi." James said to the man on the desk. "I need two owls, express speed."<br>"Where are the messages?" the man asked.  
>"What? Oh yeah." James reached into his pocket for a spare bit of parchment that he tore in half and a quill.<p>

_Moony_

_Leaky Cauldron – 4pm_

_Prongs_

_Wormtail_

_Leaky Cauldron – 4pm_

_Prongs_

"Why do they call you Prongs?" Lily asked, from reading over his shoulder. He resisted from making some sort of innuendo as he handed the two messages and some coins over to the man.  
>"It's kind of a…personal joke we have." He said. Yeah, that was feasible.<br>"So where to now?" Lily asked.  
>"Gringotts." James said. "I think it's high time you see your bank account."<br>"See?" Lily repeated. "How can you _see_ a bank account."  
>James winked at her and started down the road towards a large, white building.<br>"There's no safer place in the world to hide your cash." James said "Or anything of value, really. Not much gets past those goblins."  
>"Goblins?" Lily said, as if she'd misheard.<br>"Yeah. They're alright, so long as you don't piss them off. There's a bit of bad history between them and wizards, but they're good at their job." They walked slowly up the steps to the bank. _  
><em>"So if goblins are real…" Lily began, slowly. "Does that mean other mystical creatures are too?"  
>"Depends which ones you're referring to." James shrugged.<br>"Unicorns?" Lily said. "Real." James replied.  
>"Phoenixes?"<br>"Real?"  
>"Mermaids?"<br>"I think they prefer Mer_men_ as a generalisation."  
>"Dragons?"<br>"Yep."  
>Lily racked her brains. "Werewolves." James tripped on the step and bashed his knee.<br>"Are you alright?" Lily asked, concernedly.  
>"Yeah, yeah. Just…caught my foot. So, enjoying your day so far?" It was a lame try at changing the topic, he knew.<br>"Yes, I am. But you didn't answer my last question." James mentally groaned. "Are werewolves real?"  
>"Yes." He replied, quietly. "But they're rather misunderstood. I mean…some poor kid gets bitten by some other rabid werewolf and suddenly he's hunted and persecuted, even if he's the nicest bloke you could ever meet, outside of full-moon."<br>"Well, yes, I agree completely." Lily said, nodding. James looked to her, shocked "I mean, if the films are anything to go by, it's really not their fault and they're completely unaware when in their werewolf state. It'd be unfair to condemn someone for that."  
>James didn't say anything, a strange look in his eyes.<br>"James? Are you ok?" she said. "You're not a werewolf, are you?" she asked, grabbing his arm, looking shocked but not horrified.  
>James had to laugh at that, as he remembered his desire to be a werewolf when younger. He told her of this and then went on to say "That's before I realised how painful it is for the man. But no, I'm not a werewolf." Lily nodded.<br>"Well, here we are." She said, as they pushed open the door to Gringott's bank.

_[The Lily Effect- Stage One]_

- 

James knew he was lucky. Absurdly so. He'd been born to extremely rich parents when they were quite old. They dubbed him 'the little miracle' and treated him as such, giving in to his every whim. On top of this, they were extremely grounded people, with strong moral principles and didn't give in to the idea that just because they were wealthy (and pureblood) that everything should be done for them. They owned four house-elves, each of which had the option of being paid and freed whenever they wanted. James had been taught that traits such as loyalty; bravery and kindness to people from all walks of life were things to be admired and as such, James had grown to be a good man. He knew he was arrogant, spoiled and sometimes a little harsh, but his heart was in the right place and he'd made a real effort to start growing up when he got his Hogwarts letter. It was just taking a while, that was all. So he was lucky there as well, that he had parents who raised him right and didn't push the pureblood mania on him, like the parents of his best friend: Sirius Black.  
>He was also extremely fortunate in terms of the fact magic came as easily to him as breathing did. He was brilliant without even really trying. The same was true for flying and playing Quidditch. All of these things could lead a man to hate James, if only through jealousy, but he was lucky, too, that most people overlooked his flaws and in fact saw the funny, quite dramatic and charming side of him that he presented on most occasions and as such, wasn't lacking in fans either.<p>

But his luck could still shock him. Like that time he set his father's portrait on fire, yet by pure coincidence, his aunt had popped around just that moment and happened to be extremely good at repairing spells. She fixed up the portrait and was sworn to secrecy before either of his parents came into the room. Or that time that James had guessed the answers to his Divination paper last year and had gotten top marks. He really was strangely blessed.

Even after all these years of being singularly lucky, he still thanked his stars when Lily Evans opened the door that morning. She really was quite beautiful. Then as they went through the day, she saw everything with such _wonder_, it was almost contagious. As he had gotten to know her these past few hours, he'd realised she really was a great person and he was rather much looking forward to the next five weeks. He seemed to be having a better time than Sirius, anyway.

James looked casually around Madame Malkin's. He didn't come in here too often if he could help it. His mother was usually the one who dragged him in to dress him up for some pureblood function or another. But Lily needed robes for Hogwarts and so here they were. He had just finished talking to Sirius, who really wasn't having a good time. James, on the other hand, hadn't enjoyed shopping so much in years, if ever.

"Well, what do you think?" James looked up to see Lily doing a twirl in some standard black robes. The dark tone brought out the green in her eyes and made her hair stand out even more. In a good way, of course.  
>"They suit you." He answered honestly. She smiled.<br>"Should I wear them all day?" she asked. "What's the proper decorum?"  
>James shrugged. "It's down to you, really." He said. "You'll be wearing robes all the time at Hogwarts though, if that plays a role in your decision?"<br>She nodded and went to change back into her muggle dress. It was a simple affair, blue and summery.  
>James shook himself mentally. Was he really assessing her <em>clothes<em>? Sirius would have had a feast with that information if he ever found out. He let Lily pay again, smiling at her delight.  
>They didn't have much else to do now. He told her as such, then mentioned that he was going to meet his friends in the Leaky Cauldron. What was the betting Sirius would hit on her? Well, now James had expressed interest, he wouldn't make any proper attempt at wooing Lily. Did he really just use the term woo? What was wrong with him?<br>"Actually I need to contact Remus and Peter…shall we pop to the Post Office?" he said.  
>"Ah yes, the famous post-owls…" Lily said, mystically.<br>"You'll see how much more efficient they are." James said. What if Lily liked Sirius? A lot of girls did…Well, it wouldn't be so bad. He decided. It wasn't as if he was in love with her or anything, was it?  
>"Hi." James said, barely paying any attention to the man on the desk. "I need two owls, express speed."<br>"Where are the messages?" the man asked.  
>"What? Oh yeah." James reached into his pocket for a spare bit of parchment that he tore in half and a quill and scribbled:<p>

_Moony_

_Leaky Cauldron – 4pm_

_Prongs_

_Wormtail_

_Leaky Cauldron – 4pm_

_Prongs_

"Why do they call you Prongs?" Lily asked, from reading over his shoulder. He jumped slightly and resisted from making some sort of innuendo as he handed the two messages and some coins over to the man.  
>"It's kind of a…personal joke we have." He said. Yeah, that was feasible.<br>"So where to now?" Lily asked.  
>"Gringotts." James said. "I think it's high time you see your bank account."<br>"See?" Lily repeated. "How can you _see_ a bank account."  
>James winked at her and started down the road towards a large, white building.<br>"There's no safer place in the world to hide your cash." James said "Or anything of value, really. Not much gets past those goblins."  
>"Goblins?" Lily said, as if she'd misheard. James smirked slightly, enjoying her surprise at every new titbit of information about the magical world.<br>"Yeah. They're alright, so long as you don't piss them off. There's a bit of bad history between them and wizards, but they're good at their job." They walked slowly up the steps to the bank. _  
><em>"So if goblins are real…" Lily began, slowly. "Does that mean other mystical creatures are too?"  
>"Depends which ones." James shrugged.<br>"Unicorns?" Lily said. "Real." James replied.  
>"Phoenixes?"<br>"Real?"  
>"Mermaids?" <em>Very <em>real. James thought, as he remembered a run-in he and Sirius had had with a mermaid just two months earlier.  
>"I think they prefer Mer<em>men<em> as a generalisation."  
>"Dragons?"<br>"Yep."  
>Lily racked her brains. "Werewolves." What did she just say? James limbs seemed to stop working for a split second and he tripped on the step, leading to him bashing his knee.<br>"Are you alright?" Lily asked, concernedly. Oh great. That was embarrassing.  
>"Yeah, yeah. Just…caught my foot. So, enjoying your day so far?" It was a lame try at changing the topic, he knew.<br>"Yes, I am. But you didn't answer my last question." James mentally groaned. Why? Why this? "Are werewolves real?"  
>"Yes." He replied, quietly. "But they're rather misunderstood. I mean, I'm not sure I'd even put them under the creature list. Some poor kid gets bitten by some other rabid werewolf and suddenly he's hunted and persecuted, even if he's the nicest bloke you could ever meet, outside of full-moon." He may have gone a bit too far. He bit his lip.<br>"Well, yes, I agree completely." Lily said, nodding. James looked to her, shocked. If he was going to hear anything, he hadn't thought it would be that. "I mean, if the films are anything to go by, it's really not their fault and they're completely unaware when in their werewolf state. It'd be unfair to condemn someone for that."  
>James didn't say anything. Who was this girl? How could she be so accepting, so <em>good<em> without any question? He'd spent years getting into arguments about werewolves with his peers and yet here was a girl who had only learnt stuff from films (whatever the hell they were) and agreed with him that werewolves were wrongly persecuted. It was rather extraordinary. _She _was rather extraordinary.  
>"James? Are you ok?" she said. "You're not a werewolf, are you?" she asked, grabbing his arm, looking shocked but not horrified.<br>James had to laugh at that, as he remembered his desire to be a werewolf when younger and his pure surprise at her misunderstanding of the situation.  
>"Incidentally I wanted to be one when I was a lot younger. I thought it would be cool." He said "That's before I realised how painful it is for the man. But no, I'm not a werewolf." Lily nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. He honestly believed at that moment, had he answered yes, she would not have reacted any differently.<br>"Well, here we are." She said, as they pushed open the door to Gringott's bank.

_Even if she did prefer him, Sirius can forget it._ He thought and followed her into the slightly darkened welcome hall.

.  
><em>[Vault 601]<em>

_._

James strode up to the desk, deciding it would be better for him to handle the goblins than Lily. He cleared his throat and the goblin look up from his desk.  
>"Yes?" he asked.<br>"Miss Lily Evans would like to retrieve some money from her account."  
>"Does Miss Lily Evans have her key?" James rummaged in his pocket for a while, then placed a small key on the desk.<br>"Very well. Ygdom will take you down." Another goblin approached and led them away. Lily stole one last glance at the short, hairy creature at the desk, before turning her attention to Ygdom, who had led them to a cart. James offered to help her in.  
>"And they say chivalry's dead." Lily laughed. "I'm ok, thanks James." And she clambered in, sitting next to him as Ygdom took the front, lighting a lamp. The cart started rolling along the track. This wasn't so bad, Lily thought. Then they sped up and hit a sharp turn. Lily fell into James.<br>"Sorry." She said, though he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. The dips and turns of the journey proved to be a source of great fun for Lily, who considered whooping, but decided against it.  
>"Vault 601." Ygdom announced as the cart slowed to a stop. They climbed out, Lily offering James a hand this time. She was slightly surprised when he took it, seeing as his height would have allowed him to exit the cart without much of a problem. Ygdom, meanwhile, was opening the door to her vault with a the golden key.<br>"In you go." James encouraged, following her into the vault. Lily gasped. She'd never been in a room with so much gold! She guessed it wasn't too much, as only a third of her vault was covered, but it was still more than she'd ever had to her name.  
>"How much do you reckon I need?" she asked James, who scooped up a couple of handfuls and put them into the sack. It was now a lot heavier.<br>"That should do us for a while. If need be, we'll come back." He said and Lily nodded. She'd learnt to just trust James with these things. It wasn't as if she was in any position to contradict him.

The bright sunlight hurt her eyes as they stepped outside. She closed them briefly.  
>"You ok?" James asked, the light glinting off of his own glasses.<br>"Yeah, I think I've just lost my corneas." She replied.  
>He chuckled. "Well…that's it then." He said. "Unless you want an animal?"<br>"An animal?" Lily asked.  
>"Yes. At Hogwarts you can have a cat, owl, toad or rat."<br>"There are going to be rats at Hogwarts?" Lily asked, paling slightly. Rats were most definitely NOT her favourite animal.  
>James looked like he was trying not to smile "Not too many," he answered "Most people favour the owl. Good for post you know."<br>"Ah yes, so you keep saying." Lily said. "Well, on your good authority, maybe I will purchase an owl. Do they take much looking after?"  
>"Not at all." James assured. "Just a bit of water in their cage. They do all the hunting for themselves. Very smart animals."<br>"Well let's get me an owl then."

The Owl Emporium was aloud with hoots. Lily scanned the shelves as soon as she entered, trying to find an owl she liked. One looked at her and hooted. She smiled at it.  
>"This one." She said, taking in the tawny owl.<br>"This one?" the shopkeeper asked from behind them. Lily turned around and nodded. He beckoned the owl over and it flew onto his outstretched arm. "Good girl." He said, feeding her a treat and then placing her in an open cage. "I take it you need a cage?" he asked. Lily looked to James then nodded. As James and the shopkeeper carried on to finalise the purchase, Lily started talking to her owl.  
>"Hello." She murmured. "Aren't you a beautiful creature?" she hooted in response and Lily grinned.<br>"Lily, we can go." James said. "So what are you going to call her?" he asked as they stepped back into Diagon Alley.  
>Lily met his gaze briefly before saying "Hazel."<p>

-  
><em>[Hazel]<br>-_

James was nice. Lily reasoned. A nice boy. Man. Boy-man. _Not to mention he's pretty attractive_. A small voice said. Well, that was a mere bonus, she reasoned. It was much more important that he was funny and polite and kind and a nice boy. Man. Boy-man.  
>To be honest, he'd kind of convinced her to get an owl, without even really trying. He seemed so impressed with them.<br>Her owl was gorgeous.  
>"So what are you going to name her?" came James' voice.<br>She looked into his eyes. Oh, they were hazel. A nice, warm hazel. Hazel was a good colour.  
>"Hazel." She blurted out. <em>Shit. <em>  
>"Hazel?" James replied. "I like it." And he smiled. It was a gorgeous smile, really, that lit up his whole face and made his eyes twinkle. Yes, hazel really was a nice colour.<p>

…

**A/N: Thank you first off to TheGoldenTrio for your review. It made me happy. Hopefully this chapter makes the characters a little stronger?**

**As promised, this is a hell of a lot longer than previous chapters. (Lmao, all two of them). I hoped you enjoyed it and I hope it's not too soon to start putting in Lily/James stuff. I honestly think if Lily met him later in life, they would have been attracted to each other from the off. **

**What did you think of Sirius? Do you think that's the sort of thing he would do? And at first I was just going to make Laura a bit of a bitch, but I felt bad for her for some reason when Sirius was having a go at her, so I changed her character a bit. Now I feel sympathetic towards her. Don't we all get a bit silly when someone we like is around?**

**Anyway thank you so so much for reading. This is a long 'un so I'd appreciate a review or thirty-five (for every wand Lily had to try!)**

**Thanks again,**

**Gemma**


	5. Chapter 4: Messrs M,W,P & P

**Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs**

"_My friends are my estate". – Emily Dickinson_

**ma·raud·er**

**noun** /məˈrôdər/  
>marauders, plural<p>

A person who marauds; a raider; someone who attacks in search of booty.

_[Moony]_

When people describe Remus Lupin, they use words like 'sensible' and 'responsible'. There was also no doubt that he was kind and intelligent and entirely reliable. As such, plenty of people were shocked when he announced he was not going to be taking on a muggle-born and teaching them the ropes. Of course, plenty of people didn't know what he was- a werewolf.  
>His friends had gone mad when they heard the news, demanding that Dumbledore reconsider, that the muggle-born would not notice him gone for a few days. But then he told them Dumbledore <em>had<em> offered him the role, but he had turned it down, knowing that however much he would enjoy it, it just wasn't feasible. He'd be out of sorts for days, in no position to teach and then his muggle-born would notice something wasn't right. The last thing he needed before even starting Hogwarts was for there to be rumours about his 'furry little problem'. No, this was for the best and he didn't mind, really he didn't.

Ok, maybe he minded a little. His condition had ruled his life for years before he met Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. Then, when they successfully became Animagi _for_ him, it became that bit more bearable. Almost like a game- for them at least. However, at times like this he was reminded how this was always going to be there- his terrible secret and he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit bitter about the whole thing. Especially now, right as he strode into the Three Broomsticks on James' command and saw Sirius playing tonsil-tennis with his student. He, Remus,would have remained professional. _He_ would have done a good job. However, when Sirius pulled away from the poor girl and noticed him standing in the doorway and then grinned at him, beckoning him over hastily, all of his bitterness faded away. At least that which was directed at Sirius anyway, because how could he feel like that towards any of his friends? They were a mental, loud, over-the-top bunch but they were also funny, brave and fiercely loyal and actually helped him with his condition, rather than running in the other direction. He would be eternally grateful to them. He tried to tell them this, to let them know how much they meant, what their actions meant, but Sirius would always tell him he was being an emotional ninny and James would tell him to forget about it, that it's what friends are for, before changing the subject and Peter would smile along with them. Talking about emotions wasn't the way the Marauders dealt with things, no matter how many times he tried.

He sighed and wandered over to Sirius' booth, his own smile now in place.  
>"Sirius." He greeted warmly.<br>"Hey, Moony." Sirius said in a sing-song voice. "This is Laura," he gestured towards the slightly pink girl, who waved "I was just…er…relaxing her a little."  
>"Yeah, I saw that." Remus said, before turning his gaze to the girl. "Hello, Laura." He started politely. "It's very nice to meet you."<br>"Remus is a good mate of mine." Sirius explained, whilst Remus sat down in the booth. "We're two quarters of the infamous Marauders!" Laura nodded slowly, looking a bit confused. "You'll understand soon enough, Laura." Sirius continued happily.  
>"Talking of the Marauders," Remus began "Where's Prongs? He told me to meet him here."<br>"He should be here any moment." Sirius replied. "With…um…" his brow furrowed as he tried to remember "Jilly? Something like that."  
>Remus nodded before sitting back in the seat.<br>Sirius turned to Laura "Jilly-person is muggle-born as well."

Laura felt a slight sense of relief. Someone to talk to who was in exactly the same position as her- well, not quite. Jilly probably hadn't been snogging off the face of her tutor for the best part of an hour. As this thought crossed her mind, she blushed furiously, looking to her lap.  
>She was surprised when she felt Sirius dropping an arm around her casually and looked up at him.<br>He was a bad influence. A very bad influence. What would her mother say if she knew what she'd been up to? She couldn't help but smirk a little at that. It had been fun. It felt good to be a little spontaneous; a little naughty. Of course, the firewhiskey probably helped as well, but she found that, unlike normal, she didn't care what her mother would think and just decided to enjoy the next five weeks, whatever happened. As if to prove her point, she leant over to Sirius and kissed underneath his jaw, before pulling away and facing Remus, who didn't look phased in the slightest. Perhaps Sirius did this kind of thing on a regular basis? Well, she was hardly in a position to judge.  
>"Had a good day?" Remus interrupted her thoughts.<br>"Oh…um…yes. We've bought a lot of things."  
>Remus smiled and then looked to Sirius sternly "I hope you got her everything she needs and didn't just spend all day looking at broomsticks."<br>"Remus!" Sirius exclaimed in a loud voice. "I can't believe you would even _insinuate_ that I would leave poor Laura unprepared in the name of broomsticks, no matter how beautiful they are." Sirius' face had taken on a wistful sort of look.  
>Remus rolled his eyes and turned back to Laura. "Are you into sports, Laura?"<br>"No, not really." She admitted "I mean…at school I used to be quite good at hockey…"  
>"What's hockey?" Sirius asked.<br>"There won't be much of that at Hogwarts I'm afraid." Remus continued, ignoring Sirius. "We wizarding folk tend to focus a lot more on Quidditch."  
>"Did someone say Quidditch?" a voice said behind Remus.<br>"PRONGS!" Sirius exclaimed.  
>"Alright, Padfoot? Moony?" he grinned at the pair. "And you must be Laura." He looked to the girl in question.<br>She nodded and smiled.  
>"Everyone, this is Lily." James introduced her and she smiled.<br>Remus looked incredulously at Sirius.  
>"What?" Sirius mouthed.<br>"Jilly?" Remus mouthed back, sceptically.  
>Sirius merely shrugged. Remus sighed. "Hello, Lily." He said, smiling warmly. "My name is Remus- Moony is just a nickname."<br>"Oh so you're the famous Moony." Lily said in recognition. "The genius with the chocolate." She looked to James who smirked.  
>"That's him." He confirmed. Remus beamed.<br>Sirius cleared his throat. "And I'm the famous Padfoot." He smiled widely at Lily. Her brow furrowed.  
>"Er- actually, I don't think James mentioned you."<br>Sirius' face dropped. "He didn't mention me? Padfoot?" Lily shook her head. "What about Sirius? Sirius Black? His best friend in the universe?"  
>"Sorry." Lily said, apologetically.<br>Sirius turned to glare at James "You can find a new best friend." He crossed his arms finally, holding his mouth in a hard line.

There was a brief, awkward silence before Remus and James collapsed in laughter.  
>"Oh, mate, I have missed you." James chuckled.<br>"Hmph." Sirius protested "Obviously not enough."  
>"Ok, ok." James began "I am sorry I didn't mention you, oh ye mighty Padfoot, I just thought…er…Lily should get the full effect of meeting your glorious self, without…um…any previous assumptions."<br>"That was pathetic." Sirius stated, but he now started to grin as well.  
>"It did help the effect." Lily offered.<br>Sirius laughed. "Moony, move up, let the lady sit down."  
>"Where's Pete?" James asked as he and Lily slid into the booth.<br>Sirius shrugged.  
>"He's not exactly the most punctual of people is he?" Remus pointed out.<br>As if on cue, Peter Pettigrew burst into the Leaky Cauldron at that moment, his face flushed and his breathing heavy.  
>"Speak of the devil…" James said.<br>"Sorry…I'm…late. Got…caught up…" Peter wheezed as he reached their table.  
>"Mate, calm down, you're only ten minutes late." Sirius remarked.<br>"What?" Peter replied. He looked down at his watch. "_Fuck._ Must have…read it wrong."  
>"Pete, why do you sound like you've run a marathon?" James asked.<br>"I was a bit…flustered." Peter answered, a blush rising in his cheeks. "Apparated too far…had to run."  
>"Flustered, eh?" Remus began.<br>"Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain…Marissa, would it?" Sirius asked coyly.  
>Peter blushed harder. "No comment." He mumbled and sat down to the hoots of laughter from his friends.<br>Remus stared pointedly at James. "What?" he asked. "Oh yeah!" he seemed to catch on that he hadn't introduced the two girls yet.  
>"Pete, this is Lily."<br>"And this is Laura." Sirius said.  
>"Hullo." Peter said, still breathing heavily.<br>"Hi." They both replied.  
>"Right!" Sirius said, clapping his hands together. "DRINKS ALL AROUND!"<p>

_._

_[Wormtail]_

_._

Wormtail. Of all the nicknames of the Marauders, this was probably the most obvious. Except for, perhaps, 'Moony'. Really. How many things actually had worm-like tails? Not many. Not many at all. But still, he enjoyed the name. To be included was something he hadn't really experienced until he met the Marauders and when Sirius had rather drunkenly suggested "Wooorrrmmm-taaaiill?" as his nickname, he grabbed at it with both hands, because the fondness of the nickname proved he was a Marauder through and through and that was when the doubt had finally left his mind: they really did like him.  
><em>Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. <em>It had a nice ring to it and he slipped in right in the middle. Not added as an after-thought like so many assumed, but really in the heart of the Marauders. They would defend him to the death, he knew that. He guessed James and Sirius acted quite like older brothers; only they were allowed to be mean to him. If anyone else did… well then there would be hell to pay. He didn't mind. He quite enjoyed the banter; knowing they didn't mean anything by it. Remus was always the nice one. He had never offended Peter, which he didn't understand because Remus was always dropping insults to James and Sirius. Peter often wondered if Remus took pity on him. In that sense he preferred James' and Sirius' treatment of him. At least they insulted everyone the same way they insulted him. They treated him like an equal. More than that, really. They treated him like a friend.

That's why he would come running whenever they called. He'd all but abandoned Marissa, babbled some excuse and then ran out of the door. They would call him an idiot for leaving behind a girl who clearly liked him just for a drink in the pub, but to be honest, he wasn't that bothered by Marissa. He only said yes to her because she was the first girl who had seemed interested in him in goodness knows how long. He'd been looking for an excuse to escape when James' note had arrived. His friend had explicable timing, he had to admit.

He had control of his breathing now and was sitting on a stool next to the table his friends surrounded.  
>"Why on earth didn't you bring Marissa?" James demanded. "I told you to in your note!"<br>Peter frowned. "No you didn't."  
>"Yes, I did."<br>"No…you didn't." Peter pulled the note from his pocket and handed it to James. He handed it back.  
>"Ok fine, I didn't. But still! It's common courtesy, mate! You ditched her in the middle of a date!"<br>Peter flushed. "I'm surprised you lot remembered."  
>"What?" Sirius smiled widely. "Of <em>course<em> we'd remember our Wormy's big date!"  
>Remus returned then with the drinks for the group.<br>"What happened, Peter?" he asked, pulling over his own stool, rather than returning to the now-crowded booth.  
>"O-oh." Peter stammered. "It was…well it was a bit boring, to be honest."<br>"Boring?" Remus repeated as James and Sirius laughed.  
>"How can snogging be boring?" Sirius asked, incredulously. "Unless she was awful, I guess."<br>"No-no. She was very…it was nice." Peter said, lamely. "_She_ was nice. I was just…bored."  
>James and Sirius shared a look of disbelief.<br>"What's wrong with you?" Sirius shook his head. Peter dropped his gaze embarrassedly.  
>"Leave him alone." Remus said, firmly.<br>"Yeah, I mean, sometimes you don't click with people. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Lily said, kindly. Peter lifted his head up and smiled.  
>"And sometimes they do." James said, looking to Lily as well. She nodded once then dropped her gaze, her face feeling warm.<br>"Never stopped me before." Sirius said nonchalantly.  
>"Oh please! You shag anything that mov- OW!" James cried as Remus had kicked him quite spectacularly in the shin.<br>"What did you do that for?" James glared at Remus. Remus warningly flicked his gaze between Sirius and Laura; the latter who was now very interested in her drink. James paused, and then recognition seemed to fill his eyes.

"Oh." He said. An awkward silence threatened to take over the group when Sirius let out an almighty sigh.  
>"Perhaps." He said, lightly. "But it's the best ride they'll ever have."<br>He reached out his hand to turn Laura's face to him via her chin and winked. She giggled softly and it was enough to break the tension, Remus hastily making conversation with Lily across the table. As everyone became distracted, Sirius dropped his mouth to Laura's ear.  
>"I usually save this conversation 'til a bit later…" he began "But…look. I like you, ok? But I'm not going to lie and say that I want to be your boyfriend or anything like that. Commitment and I are not best friends. I like to take things casually and I can't tell you where we're going to be tomorrow, next week or next year. But I can show you a no-strings-attached good time if you're up for it. If not, that's cool too." He didn't wait for her to respond and instead started talking to James, as if nothing had happened. Peter watched the exchange and saw Laura's face crumple slightly, though from what emotion, he didn't know. He sometimes envied Sirius' completely relaxed state when he was around women. He had a way with them that was for sure. He, however…the girls that were interested bored him and the ones he was interested in were annoyed by him. It was the way of the world, he supposed. He just knew that girls seemed so much more trouble than they were worth and more often than not, he'd rather spend his time with his friends, though he'd never admit it. <em>Mates before dates<em>- that was the Marauder motto, he decided - for him, at least.

_._

_[Padfoot]_

_._

Normal people might have been annoyed at their best friend's lack of tact or their poor timing- but not Sirius Black. He refused to ever feel awkward, regardless of the situation. He was the creator of awkward situations; the _master_ of them. He was the one who would comment "Well, this is awkward." With a massive smile on his face, revelling as everyone around him shifted- you guessed it- awkwardly. So, it was no big deal he had to make his "no commitment" speech early. In fact, it was better just to get it out of the way. The quicker she knew where she stood; the less likely she was to hate him when it was all over.  
>He chanced a glance at her then. She was smiling at the conversation around her, preferring to observe rather than to contribute. Other than that, she didn't seem to be too miffed with him. Ah well, only time would tell.<br>"So basically," James said, arranging the empty bottles on the table "You have three chasers; two beaters, a keeper and a seeker. Does anyone have a quill?" Remus handed him one and James proceeded to write three Cs, two Bs an S and a K on the bottles. "Right. So there are four balls on the pitch at any one time. A quaffle, two bludgers and a snitch. Er…" he scrambled through his pockets to retrieve a galleon, two sickles and a knut. "Ok…so we'll say the knut is the quaffle; the sickles are the bludgers and the galleon is the snitch. With me so far?"  
>"I think so." Lily said as Laura nodded. The other three Marauders had long since lost interest in the explanation.<br>"Excellent. So: the three chasers take the quaffle and try to score it through the other team's hoops. The keeper defends said hoops."  
>"Bit like basketball?" Lily offered.<br>"Er-" James looked to Remus pleadingly.  
>"Yes, sort of. But not quite." Remus replied. Lily smirked.<br>"Wait, you said 'hoops'," Lily said "How many are there?"  
>"Three. Each goal is worth ten points. The beaters are there to defend their team from the bludgers. They have bats they use to beat them away- hopefully at the other team."<br>"Sounds a bit violent."  
>Remus snorted. "You don't know the half of it."<br>"Violent? Psh- makes it exciting." Sirius commented.  
>"Thank you, Padfoot." James said.<br>"Though a bludger to the groin is no fun, is it Prongs?"  
>James cringed a little as Lily giggled. "It wasn't funny!" he said, though he was smiling too "I couldn't walk properly for weeks."<br>"It was your own fault, you should have moved quicker."  
>"Hey, Sirius- no play; no judgement."<br>Sirius shrugged, still smirking. Despite only seeing James yesterday, he had missed him. It had been a while since they hadn't done something together and taking on a muggleborn for five weeks would have seemed a lot more appealing if he'd had his best friend by his side. James had practically become his brother since Sirius had moved into the Potter home after running away from his own family. He smirked a little as he contemplated his parents' reactions to what he was doing now. If it was down to them, he wouldn't be associating with anyone at this table, as they would view each and every one of them as scum. To hell with them, when he was with the Marauders, he was home.  
>"So the snitch is worth 150 points and-"<br>"Wait." Lily interrupted. "If the snitch is worth 150 points, then what's the point of the quaffle?"  
>James froze in his movements and turned to stare at Lily.<br>"What's the point?" he asked, fighting to keep his voice calm.  
>"Well, yeah…because even if the other team was over 150 points in front, surely they just wouldn't catch the snitch until they could to win?"<br>"That's what a good Quidditch captain would tell his seeker, yes."  
>"Well then…doesn't that render the chasers efforts slightly…"<br>"Oh Merlin don't say it." Remus muttered.  
>"Useless?"<br>Sirius turned his gaze to James, smirk firmly in place, whilst Remus looked at him slightly worriedly and Peter just looked anxious. To all of their surprise, James smiled broadly and placed his palms face-down on the table.  
>"Evidently," he said sweetly "I have not explained the game properly. If the chasers are good enough, they can win the game for their team. And points are important, especially in tournaments. The amount of goals can win you a trophy. Not to mention the match would be pretty boring if it was just Seekers doing a load of Wronski feints and-"<br>Lily turned to warily face the other three Marauders "Have I said something to offend him?"  
>Sirius chuckled. "Old Prongsie here is a bit passionate when it comes to Quidditch."<br>"A bit?" Remus scoffed. "Not to mention he's a chaser…"  
>Lily's eyes widened. "Oh."<br>James was still ranting to no one in particular.  
>"Oi! James!" Sirius called. The man in question turned to look at Sirius. "Why don't you just show Lily how wonderful you and your fellow chaser kind can be?"<br>"Yeah- take her to your match Tuesday week." Peter suggested.  
>"Oh- he doesn't have to if he doesn't want-" Lily stopped to see James looking at her excitedly. "Or he does want me to."<br>"Well, could be fun, couldn't it?" James asked.  
>Lily nodded. "Definitely. I'm curious now as to how good your skills are."<br>James grinned mischievously. "You're in for a treat."  
>"I'll hold you to that."<br>Sirius smiled at their interaction. He leant over to Peter.  
>"A galleon says they're together by the time we get to Hogwarts."<br>"But James is-"  
>"Well the odds are in your favour then, aren't they?" Peter eyed Sirius suspiciously; knowing that Sirius knew James better than he did.<br>"Alright, I'm in." They shook on it.  
>"What's Peter in?" Remus asked, lowly.<br>"Ah, the possible endings to that sentence…" Sirius sighed.  
>"Padfoot reckons James and Lily will be together by the time we go back to Hogwarts."<br>"But James is-"  
>"Oh Merlin! No one is forcing you to take the bet!" Sirius said, eyes rolling.<br>"What bet?" James asked, both he and Lily looking expectantly at the three conversing boys.  
>"Just er…who could chug the most firewhiskey, me or you?" Sirius supplied.<br>"Yeah I can't really get hammered tonight, mate." James said and turned back to Lily.  
>"Alright, you're on." Remus said, under his breath. "But James definitely likes her."<br>"Fantastic. What about you Laura?" Sirius whispered. "Do you reckon those two will be together by October?"  
>"No." Laura said simply. "I think something will happen sooner."<br>"Ooh…making it more interesting. Ok, when do you reckon then, Laura dear?"  
>"I don't necessarily think they'll be together, but I reckon something will happen between them once she's seen him play Quidditch."<br>"Specific." Sirius said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you know something we don't?"  
>Laura shrugged. "I'm psychic."<br>"Cheat!" Sirius hissed.  
>"I was joking." Laura replied. "I have my reasons."<br>"Ok, you're in." Sirius said. "Prepare to lose, my friends."

_._

_[Prongs]_

_._

"What are they whispering about?" Lily asked.  
>"I honestly have no idea." James said.<br>"So I shouldn't be worried that they're plotting my demise or something?"  
>James laughed. "I think you're safe, but, just in case, maybe I should move Shield Charms up a few lessons…"<br>"Oh do you have a schedule worked out?"  
>"Um…vaguely." James said, then catching Lily's eye he said "Ok, very vaguely as in, not at all." He winked. "I work better when I'm improvising."<br>"You're the boss." Lily said, giving him a salute.  
>"James, Lily," Remus said, they looked to him.<br>"Oh, remembered us, have you?" James asked, sarcastically.  
>"It's not our fault you were too interested in each other." Sirius murmured.<br>Remus rolled his eyes. "We want to eat, do you want to stay here or go somewhere more interesting? The Leaky Cauldron doesn't have the most diverse menu."  
>"Who cares, I'm hungry!" Sirius said.<br>"Here's alright, isn't it?" James replied. "I've got a bar of chocolate in my pocket, if that helps?"  
>Remus smiled. "I'm not that obsessed with chocolate, honestly." He directed at Lily.<br>"Who has chocolate?" Peter piped up.  
>"Damn, they've discovered my stash." James whispered to Lily, who chuckled.<br>"So it's decided." Sirius announced. "Tom! Can we get some menus over here?"

Friends and family: that's what mattered most to James Potter – and Quidditch. So seeing as all three had been going on that night, James was pretty much in his element. This was where he thrived; with things he cared about. Not to mention there was something about Lily... he wanted to impress her, which was an odd sensation. He generally didn't care what people thought of him. Maybe she was special.  
>He frowned slightly as he saw Remus conversing with Lily about some muggle author. It wasn't fair, really. Remus should have been in his position right now. Not that he was complaining, but Remus worked hard and he was responsible and really good at making people feel welcome. James sometimes felt guilty for how easily things happened for him. He, Sirius and Remus were at the top of nearly all their classes…but Remus had to graft a lot more to get there and the fact that all of his dedication had gone unrecognised purely because he turned into a wolf once a month was nonsensical.<br>Ok, if James had to be really honest and logistical and reasonable then sure, it made sense. There was no feasible way Remus could disappear for a few days unnoticed and they really couldn't have rumours circulating any more than they already did. Remus didn't deserve that.  
>James suddenly felt a wave of familiar anger at Fenrir Greyback; the werewolf who had done this to Remus, purely because Remus' dad had pissed someone off. He was just an innocent kid and because of a petty grudge that he wasn't even involved with, he now had to suffer for the rest of his life. Where was the justice?<br>"The others don't really care for reading…" Remus explained.  
>"Hey! I read." Sirius defended himself.<br>"Flicking through wizard's mags doesn't count, mate." James said. "But I read."  
>"Actually, Lily and I were talking about Muggle literature."<br>"Oh."  
>"Yes, particularly the works of Dickens." Lily said, animatedly. "What about you, Laura?" she asked the other muggleborn girl "Are you into reading?"<br>"I mostly like romance novels." Laura said. "Chick-lit. The classics were never my forte at school."  
>"I like classics." Lily said, nodding. "But I admit sometimes in school it can be dull. We had to analyse Jane Eyre to death in my fifth year."<br>"Oh yeah- I was so glad when we finished!" Laura said, turning to face Lily, fully. "We had this really boring teacher who would drone on and on and on about _metaphors_ and _expression._"  
>"I read it for pleasure the year before and I absolutely <em>adore<em>d it. The love between Jane and Mr Rochester and then the fact he already had a wife put a whole new spin on the whole 'meet Mr. Perfect, fall in love and live happily ever after' cliché."  
>"I think this conversation is a bit lost on us." James said.<br>"Sorry!" Lily said. "Um…what are wizarding novels like?"  
>"I wouldn't know." Sirius said, cutting across Remus who was about to respond. "Ah, excellent. Grub's up!"<p>

"This is just like normal, muggle food." Lily said. Laura nodded her agreement.  
>"Well, what were you expecting?" Sirius asked.<br>"I don't know…in our books," she gestured to herself and Laura "Witches make brews with cat's tails and bird talons and things."  
>"Sounds like potions." Remus said, thoughtfully. "Sometimes muggles get things spot on."<br>"They tend to eat humans too." Laura added.  
>"Ok, maybe not so spot on." James said.<br>"I'm kind of glad to hear that." Laura said. "Witches are mainly painted as the villains in fairytales."  
>"What about wizards?" Peter asked.<br>"Well…they're generally the good guys, actually. Bit misogynistic, but anyway…" Lily said. "There are some famous ones, for instance: Merlin."  
>"You know about Merlin?" Sirius asked, through a mouthful of steak pie.<br>"He's real?" Lily gaped.  
>"Yeah! Best wizard of his generation- stuff of legend!" James said, enthusiastically.<br>"Wow. So…is the story about Prince Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table true as well?"  
>"You've lost me." James admitted.<br>"It's a legend…no one's really sure if it's real or not." Laura helped out.  
>"Yeah and Merlin was supposed to be the one who protected Arthur and helped him to fulfil his destiny: 'to be the greatest king Camelot had ever seen'." Lily continued.<br>"I'll check that out for you." Remus said. "I mean, I'm sure we would have heard something of it if it were true…mind you, a legend like that aiding a muggle?"  
>"Yeah. Certain purebloods would want to keep that one hush-hush wouldn't they?" Sirius said, stabbing a carrot forcefully.<br>"Politics." James mouthed to the two girls, who were looking confused.  
>"Talking of," Lily said, taking a swig of butterbeer "Does the Wizarding World have a Prime Minister or a King or Queen of some sort or…?"<br>"There's the Minister for Magic." Peter said. "At the moment it's Benedictus Bones."  
>"He's basically in charge of the Ministry of Magic…I guess they're sort of like the muggle government? That's what you call it, right?" Remus enquired.<br>"Yeah." Lily said in response.  
>"So yes, but we have no royalty."<br>"Ok cool so do you get to vote?"  
>"Vote?" Peter asked. "No. There are candidates and then the most popular gets chosen."<br>"That's not very democratic." Laura stated.  
>"Neither is our way, really." Lily quipped. "But it still seems unfair you don't get any say."<br>The boys shrugged.  
>"No one really cares about politics." Sirius said, stretching in his seat.<br>"And old Bones isn't bad." James said. "Though everyone thought Dumbledore was going to get it for a while."  
>"Nah- he's too comfortable at Hogwarts." Remus said. "Which I, for one, am glad about."<br>"Ok so who is this Dumbledore?" Lily asked.  
>"Potentially the greatest wizard of all time." James informed them. "And I'm not even exaggerating."<br>Remus nodded in consent. "He's been Head of Hogwarts for…well, years, really. He's the greatest Professor and Head Hogwarts has ever seen."  
>"Completely barmy though." Sirius said, laughing. "He once caught me about to set off a load of dungbombs and instead of destroying them on the spot or sending for Filch, he put them in his pockets and offered me a lemon drop."<br>Everyone chuckled appreciatively.  
>"I want a beard like Dumbledore's when I'm older." Peter said, stroking his chin.<br>"Pete- no offence, but if you had a beard like Dumbledore's, you'd be tripping over it the whole time. You're a bit of a short-arse, mate." Sirius said, patting Peter's shoulder sympathetically. "I, on the other hand, would look great with a beard."

_._

_[Bona nocte dicens]_

_._

The group chatted throughout their meal and way beyond. Soon enough, though, Peter and Remus were making their goodbyes.  
>It's amazing how quickly time can fly when the conversation is flowing and the company's good, James mused as he checked his watch to see it was already ten o'clock.<br>James and Sirius waved off their two friends as they walked out of the pub, Lily and Laura having already said their goodbyes.  
>"It's still really early." Sirius whined. "We could go to Hogsmeade or something?"<br>"I don't think that's a good idea." James said, glancing back at the two girls where Laura was rubbing her eyes and Lily was stifling a yawn. "I think they're both really tired."  
>Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well me and you can go."<br>James shook his head "We have to be on hand in case they need us."  
>"Why would they need us? They'll be sleeping!"<br>"Mate, we've got to stick to the rules on this one."  
>"Alright, fine." Sirius grumbled.<br>"But you can come in my room for a bit. I've got that pack of Exploding Snap if you're up for it?"  
>"Wicked." Sirius said, his eyes brightening. "Should I bring that bottle of Firewhiskey I nabbed from Dad's supply?"<br>James laughed. "As much as I would love to, I've got to get up tomorrow and so do you! We're tutoring, remember?"  
>"When did you become so sensible?" Sirius asked, before he walked back to the table, offering Laura his arm.<br>"Your boudoir awaits, m'lady?" he said and lead her upstairs.  
>"After you." James gestured to Lily.<p>

Lily cast a quick look around the cosy room she would be sleeping in.  
>"Shower's through there," James pointed "and I'll be right across the landing if you need me."<br>"Ok." Lily said brightly "Thanks. Oh and thanks for tonight as well, you could have used my money to pay."  
>"Nah, it's alright." James said, smiling. "Hogwarts gave me provisions for food and stuff."<br>"Oh!" Lily replied "Well in that case, thank you to Hogwarts."  
>"Tomorrow I plan on blowing some of it on a big fry-up…can I tempt you?"<br>"Ooh a wizarding fry-up. I think I have to, just for experience's sake."  
>"Good girl." James smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Well I guess this is where I say goodnight. Remember if you need anything, I'm just over here."<br>"I will remember that and thanks, James, really. Today has been…"  
>"Odd?" James offered.<br>"Well, yeah, but also really fun." James beamed.  
>"Ok get some sleep, I need you alert tomorrow."<br>"Ah yes- for the 'improvisation'."  
>"You better believe it, baby." Lily snorted.<br>"Right, night then."  
>"Good night, Lily."<p>

James walked through to his own room, where Sirius was already shuffling the cards.  
>"You look like you mean business, Padfoot."<br>"I do indeed, Prongs. Prepare to lose."  
>"Fighting talk, I see. You're going to be sorely disappointed by the time you leave."<br>"Ha! The only person who'll be sore is you after the thrashing I give you!"  
>James paused for a moment. "I'm going to ignore the innuendo in that statement and just move on."<br>"Wise choice." Sirius approved as James sat down opposite him.  
>"So, you and Laura?" James said.<br>"Yeah. You know you said if I snogged her it might loosen her up?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Worked like a charm."  
>"Ok and er- how do you feel about being around her for the next five weeks post-snogathon?"<br>"She knows the situation. I'm not too bothered." Sirius said, shrugging.  
>"Just don't screw up her education, Sirius. It's important."<br>"Ok, seriously, who are you and what have you done with James Potter?"  
>"What?" James asked, defiantly.<br>"Since when do you care about being responsible and sensible when it comes to education?"  
>"Since someone else's education became <em>my<em> responsibility." James said, hotly. "Those two are at a massive disadvantage, especially to people like us who are doing really advanced things already! We can't just leave them completely unprepared! Plus they're both really nice girls, it's not fair."  
>"Is this the about the fact that they're muggleborn or the fact that you fancy the pants off that Lily?"<br>James shot Sirius a dirty look.  
>"I'm being serious." He said.<br>"So am I." Sirius replied, airily. James rolled his eyes.  
>"Really, Padfoot. Please do your job properly."<br>Sirius sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll be a proper goody-two-shoes for the next five weeks. But you better be back to your normal trouble-making stuff when term starts. Doubly so, in fact!"  
>"Deal." James said. "Now give me my cards."<p>

-

**A/N: Oh my Merlin did that take time to write! I've been at a loss of how to continue this recently because I have the basic outline of the story and certain major events in mind and if I'm being honest, I kind of just want to write those. But I got through this chapter in the end.**

**Thanks to the anonymous reviewers and to one in particular, the answer is no.**

**Thank you all for reading! Whenever I get an e-mail about someone adding this story to their alerts or favourites or when I get reviews, I really do get quite happy, so thank you for your support. Any feedback is welcome, as long as it's not…you know, horrible. **

**See you for the next chapter where the ~magic~ begins! **


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